Unbelievable
by destinyowldreamer
Summary: We all know how amazing Dick Grayson is. But does his team? It's time they found out.
1. The Great Escape

Unbelievable

**A/N: This is the first chapter of my first official Young Justice Fanfiction! It's all about Robin/Nightwing, and him basically doing extremely impressive and unbelievable things! I hope you like it, and it is a one-shot series, so ideas are welcome! I've been wanting to write something about Dick for a long time, so please review! Feedback is awesome! On with the story!**

**Chapter One: The Great Escape**

Kid Flash wriggled in his bonds, trying to find a way out. He, Artemis, and Robin had been assigned a mission in Gotham, involving a new ring of drug smugglers. Miss Martian was visiting her family back on Mars, Aqualad was helping Aquaman in Atlantis, and Superboy was actually starting to spend time with Superman. The three of them should've been able to handle it, but somehow, the smugglers had been prepared for them.

And now, they were hanging side by side, upside down by their ankles, with their hands bound behind their backs. "There has to be a way out of this!" Kid Flash growled. "Shhhh!" Artemis hushed. "They'll hear you and come back!"

"Well do you have any bright ideas?" He questioned irritably. She smirked, which was probably difficult to do with the bruise that was forming around her right eye. Kid Flash still wanted to hit the guy who had done it to her. But that was just a protective feeling he had for everyone on the team. He did not like her in _that _way.

"I have the best plan ever." Artemis said. "I'm gonna ask the Boy Wonder." She turned her head. "Do you have a plan?" Robin gave them a slightly pained smile. Kid Flash winced. The left half of his face was covered in blood, from a series of cuts and scratches running from his temple to his jaw, from when he had been tackled from behind. That thug had rammed Robin's head into the ground pretty hard.

"Sure." He said. "I'm gonna get us out of here." And with that, before Kid Flash or Artemis had time to realize what was happening, Robin used his hips, to push the rest of his body up, and just before he fell back down, he grabbed onto the rope with his teeth. His friends could only watch in astonishment.

The Boy Wonder, living up to his title, kicked his feet up so he was in a folded position, and still holding on with his teeth, he rubbed his boot against the rope, until the hilt of a small knife could be seen emerging, then the rest of the knife. As soon as it was going to fall out and become completely useless, Robin released his grip on the rope, and allowed himself to swing back into his original upside down position, and the knife fell right into his waiting, tied-up hands.

He sawed away at the ropes until they broke, then he placed the knife in his teeth, pirate-style, and clambered up the rope, wrapping one arm around it so he had a good grip, before using his free hand to cut his ankles free.

He swung over to Artemis, and wrapped a foot knot into the rope above her, before flipping upside down, and cutting her hands free. He cut the ropes at her ankles, but he had a good grip on her arm, and gently slithered down the rope, before setting her carefully onto the ground below.

He then repeated the process over again with Kid Flash. When they were both on the ground, Robin was tucking his knife back into his boot, still up in the ropes.

"Wow." Artemis said, her mouth hanging open. "Just, wow."

Kid Flash had to agree. "That was awesome, Rob!" He called up. Robin gave him a tired smile, and dropped the distance to the floor, landing in a catlike crouch.

He stayed like that, breathing hard. Kid Flash frowned, now that Robin wasn't moving, he could see the sweat rolling down his face.

Kid Flash pulled Robin up gently by his arm, and scooped him into his arms.

Robin protested weakly. He pushed on his best friend's chest. "I'm fine, KF! Put me down!" Artemis placed her hand on Robin's forehead, being careful to avoid the injuries. "Easy, Boy Wonder. What you just did looked like it should've been impossible. But you pulled it off. You saved us. We'll come back for the smugglers later. I'm sure Batman will have a few choice words for them. Let's get back to Mount Justice."

Robin nodded, and his eyes slid shut behind his mask.

Artemis held open a window, and Kid Flash, still holding Robin, climbed out, followed closely by his teammate.

"That was…." Artemis said, failing to find the right word, Kid Flash grinned at her. "Unbelievable?" He supplied. Artemis smiled. "Yeah," she said. "Exactly."

Who knew their little bird was so amazing?

**A/N: Hey guys! If you've read this far, then you rock! I hope you liked it, and I'll try and have the next chapter up soon! Please review! ****J**


	2. Homework

**Chapter Two: Homework**

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited, and followed from the first chapter! This chapter is a little calmer then the last one but I think it'll be a good one.**

The Boy Wonder was sitting in the cave, staring down at his homework. He fidgeted with a bat-a-rang absently as he filled in the answers. His teammates were scattered either on the couch, or on the floor, watching Conner's favorite TV show, static. Artemis was checking her arrows for straightness, Aqualad was flipping through a book he only looked half interested in, Superboy was watching the static as if it fascinated him, M'gann seemed content to just sit there and watch it with him, while Wally tried to figure out the new phone he had gotten for his birthday.

It was only a matter of time until he dropped it. It clanged against the ground, shattering. Everyone's heads shot up, except for Robin's, he was used to noises like that. "Wally!" Artemis scolded. "You got that phone yesterday!" Wally shrugged. "It's okay. Rob can fix it." M'gann picked up a piece of it, that didn't really look like it belonged anywhere. "I don't know, Wally." She said. "It seems pretty ruined."

Wally ignored them, picked up the pieces and dropped them in front of Robin. "Can you fix it?" He asked. Robin, without looking up, opened a drawer, pulled out a small screw driver, and began putting pieces back together with one hand, while he solved complicated algebra equations, with the other.

The others crowded around to watch. Within a matter of minutes, the phone was back in one piece, and was working perfectly. "Thanks Rob!" Wally cheered. He ruffled Robin's hair. Robin just waved him off. "You're welcome."

After that, they mostly went back to what they were doing before, all but Wally thinking about what Robin had just done.

Two days later, they had all just returned to the cave from an all-night mission, and the whole team collapsed in sync in the Mount Justice living room, except for Robin, who sat at the table and opened his math workbook from school.

He was reading through it, while repairing bat-a-rangs. His black hair was wet from the rain outside, and he must've been cold. M'gann approached him with a blanket and draped it over his shoulders. He gave her a smile, his hands still working. "Thanks, Miss M." She smiled, and sat back down on the couch with the others.

They sat in silence for a while, until Artemis cursed under her breath. M'gann gasped, and Wally bit back a laugh.

Artemis's arrow heads had all come undone and she couldn't get them to twist back on. Without needing to look, Robin held his hand towards her. When she realized what he was asking, she placed her arrows in his gloved hand. They watched as he continued to read his math book, as he tightened and readjusted the arrow heads. When they were done, he handed them back to Artemis like it was no big deal. She was too stunned to speak.

It happened again, when Kaulder's water bearers were on the fritz, Robin was writing an English exam at the time, but he went to work on them anyways, and he had them fixed perfectly in ten minutes.

"Aquaman showed me how Atlantian technology worked when I was ten." Robin explained, as if that was a perfectly normal thing to teach a ten year old boy.

The next time, Sphere shut herself down completely, and when nothing else worked, Conner asked Robin for help.

Robin walked into the room, holding a French worksheet and a pencil, and jotted down answers as he looked Sphere over, before tapping her gently in the side with his knuckles. She turned back on with a happy beeping sound and rubbed up against his legs like a mechanical cat.

Robin fixed M'gann's computer, when it shut down on her unexpectedly, while he was working on a science project.

But the most surprising time for sure, was when the team had a very rare visit to the Watchtower, and were surprised to find Robin sitting in the corner with his wrist computer up, as he typed away at it.

"Robin?" Artemis asked, walking over to him. "I thought you were helping Batman today."

"He is." Batman said, the five members of the team who weren't bats, jumped. "The League's computers were down and the zeta beams weren't working, I needed someone to help with the repairs, Robin is the best there is."

Something bleeped on Robin's computer screen, he tapped a button, and all the computers around the HQ buzzed back to life. Robin stood up. Batman put his hand on his protégé's shoulder. "We're going back home." He said. "It's getting late. And you have school tomorrow." Robin held up a completed history assignment. "I just finished my homework." Batman smiled.

The team watched as their youngest member and his mentor walked away.

They were learning new things about Robin every day.

**A/N: Like it? Love it? Hate it? Please review! And remember, suggestions and ideas rock! **


	3. Subtle

**Chapter Three: Subtle**

Duck, dodge, roll, come up, feint left, foot sweep, duck, repeat.

Duck, dodge, roll, come up, feint right, left jab, dodge, repeat.

She watched him for who knows how long. Something about the fluid catlike grace was fascinating to watch.

It dawned on Cassy, that she had never seen Nightwing stop moving. He was always planning, teaching, training, running, jumping, fighting, protecting.

She was so absorbed in watching him, that she jumped a mile high when Mal appeared behind her.

"What are you doing?" Cassy whirled around. "Mal!" Mal crossed his arms over his chest, but he didn't look angry, just amused.

Cassy blushed. "Sorry," she said. Mal smiled and stood beside her, as they both turned back to watch Nightwing practice.

"He's good." Mal stated. "Isn't he?" Cassy nodded numbly.

Not entirely sure why she did it, she asked, "You don't know his name, do you?"

Mal gave her a confused look. "Sure I do. Nightwing." Cassy shook her head. "No, I mean his real name. Do you know what it is?" Mal sighed. "I don't think anyone around here knows that."

Cassy rubbed her arms. "Ever notice how he never stops moving?" Mal frowned for a moment before nodding. "Yeah actually. Apparently he was like that when he was, Robin too. Do you think he ever gets tired?" Cassy had to smile at that.

"It's kind of hard to imagine."

"Come on." Mal said, putting his hand on Cassy's shoulder.

"Let's go get some of our training done."

Four and a half hours later, Cassy and Mal had been sparing, and exchanging tips for ages, and both of them were ready for a break.

Cassy made her way over to the couch and almost shrieked.

Beast Boy, Impulse, Blue Beatle, and Bumblebee were standing around something.

"What-?" Cassy began to say, but her four team mates shushed her in sync with each other.

Bumblebee pointed at the couch, a smile on her face. The others parted to make room for Cassy.

Cassy covered her mouth with her hand. Nightwing was lying on his side. The slits of his mask were closed, and the steady rising and falling of his chest suggested that he was asleep. His black bangs were hanging over his face. He looked so peaceful, and so young. Not at all like the untouchable, fearless leader they had all come to know.

"He's adorable!" Cassy gushed. "I know!" Bumblebee replied. "Did you know he's eighteen years old?" Blue Beatle asked. "I thought he was like, twenty!"

"I can't believe he's being so still!"

Impulse said. "And I thought I moved a lot."

"He looks so small." Beast Boy said. "I can't believe he's so tiny."

Bumblebee ruffled his hair. "You're not exactly the tallest shape-shifter on the block either, BB."

He stuck his tongue out at her.

Cassy reached out a hand, and gently brushed Nightwing's hair out of his masked eyes.

Nightwing stirred, and Cassy drew her hand back so quickly it was as if a snake had bitten her.

His eyes fluttered open behind the mask, and he sat up slowly.

"Guys?" He looked around at each of them. "What're you doing?"

Bumblebee put her hand on his shoulder, and gently pushed him back down.

"It's okay, honey." She said. "BG said you haven't been getting much sleep lately." Blue Beatle passed her a blanket, and she draped it over their leader.

Nightwing looked like he was about to protest, but Mal placed a strong hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, kid. Get some rest." Nightwing gave him a half-hearted attempt at a mini bat-glare, but he lay back on his side, and closed his eyes.

Mal ushered the others away. "Let him sleep." Mal said. "Go home, and do the same."

Cassy stopped at the zeta beams. She looked over her shoulder.

She had never realized that Nightwing was just a kid. Just like the rest of them.

She smiled to herself as she went home.

It was the subtle things that were the most important.

**A/N: Sorry about the wait, but it took me a while to think of this. I hope this one is a little longer than the others, and please keep reviewing! Suggestions and ideas would be awesome! Bye! **


	4. Broken Walls

**Chapter Four: Broken Walls**

**A/N: This one is supposed to be a little more dramatic, I was kind of in that sort of mood when I decided to write it. Hope you like it!**

"So….. Yeah, we're leaving." Artemis swatted Wally in the shoulder. "You couldn't have thought of a better way to put it?" Artemis and Wally were standing in front of Nightwing, and had just told him about their decision to quit the team and try to live normal lives.

Nightwing, had just become the team's new leader, Aqualad had "betrayed" them two weeks before, and M'gann and Conner had broken up, Tim was still in training to be the new Robin, they were still trying to figure some stuff out with Red Hood, and now Dick's best friend was leaving him, and taking Artemis along with him.

Both Wally and Artemis had been dreading telling him since they had signed up for collage, but he was taking it a lot better than either of them had thought. But then again, it was always difficult to tell what a Bat was thinking.

Nightwing stood, with his arms folded over his chest and a blank expression on his face. He had been up all night in Bludhaven, again, and with everything that had been going on lately, he had barely had enough time to shower. Needless to say, he really needed a break.

"I'm so, sorry." Artemis said. "I know this is a bad time, but school starts in a week, and we didn't want to worry you any earlier then we had to-"Nightwing held up a hand to stop her.

"Artemis, KF, I really do understand. Things are different for us Bats, but you two…" He shook his head, a soft smile on his face. "You two, as weird as this may sound, have the chance to be…. Well, normal. I wish I could be like that."

He gave them the most encouraging smile he could muster. "Good luck." Wally grabbed Dick, and pulled him into a hug, Artemis joined in. They stayed like that for what felt like hours, none of them were willing to let go.

Nightwing was the one who pulled away first. He blinked a few times, no one could see it because of his mask, but his eyes were getting a little teary, and there was no way he was about to break down in front of two of his oldest friends.

"Thanks, Wing." Wally smiled. "And it's not like we'll never see each other again. We're going to college, not another planet." Dick smiled and squeezed his friend's shoulder.

"We have to go." Artemis said. She hated to say it, but it was true. Nightwing nodded. "Be careful guys," he said. "I'll see you around."

Wally clasped hands with Nightwing. "We'll see you around. Don't get killed."

And with that, two of the most important people in Dick's life, walked away from him. He took a deep breath. He should get back to the rest of the team.

The rest of the day seemed to go by in a kind of blur. He gave a debrief from yesterday's mission, trained with Robin, Blue Beatle, and Impulse, then everyone went home, there were no emergencies that the Police couldn't handle, so Nightwing did too.

All day, people, his teammates, had asked him if he was okay.

He hadn't really known what to tell them.

No. He wasn't okay. That was the truth. But he just told everyone that he would be fine. He pretended like he was happy for Wally and Artemis, and he really was, but that didn't mean it hurt any less.

But as he walked home, in his civilian identity, of course, it started to rain. Funny how that always seemed to happen when someone was in a bad mood.

He hadn't bothered to put on his glasses. He could show his eyes around strangers as Dick Grayson. He wished he didn't have to hide his face for his team.

He had told the original members a few years ago after getting permission from Batman.

He approached his apartment building, said hi to the doorman, and headed for the sixth floor. He unlocked the door to his apartment, and stepped inside. He waited for a minute, he always did it to make sure no one was waiting for him. It was unlikely he would be attacked at home, but definitely not impossible.

When he was sure it was safe, he switched on the light switch. He dropped his backpack onto the old couch, and sat down next to it.

He dropped his head into his hands. His blue eyes were tired, and he wanted nothing more than to curl up and cry. But he knew he couldn't do that.

He glanced at his watch. 1:00 AM in the morning. He figured he probably had around two to three hours before something serious happened and he was needed. He had things to do, and if he planned to get at least one hour of sleep, he needed to go to bed, now.

He hid his backpack in the usual place. It contained his costume and mask, and he did not want anyone finding it.

He changed clothes, and climbed into his bed.

He rested his head on the pillows, and tried to sleep. After a few minutes of trying and failing to do so, he opened his eyes, and lay on his back.

He dropped his arm over his eyes and focused on breathing. He glanced at the wall across from his bed. An old Flying Graysons poster was in the middle of a collage of photos of the team. Those were the days when they had been happy.

It had been so long ago, it hardly felt real. And that scared him.

He didn't want to forget what had happened back then. Everything had been okay. The team had been awesome, and they still were, and he was sure that the new recruits would be great as well. But he missed his friends.

He wanted them back.

His clock read, 1: 20. He sighed, and closed his eyes again. A few tears squeezed their way out from under his closed eyelids. Before he knew it, more and more came. He couldn't stop them, and for once, he didn't try.

After what felt like an eternity, the tears finally slowed, until stopping altogether.

He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.

He smiled softly to himself. _It'll be okay. _He thought. _You can get through this. _He had said those things to himself so many times before, he just hoped that one day, he could believe them.

In a few more minutes, he fell asleep.

Maybe things really would be better in the morning. There was only one way to find out.

**A/N: A longer one this time. Did you like it? I think this one is my favorite so far. Emotion is a really important thing to have in stories. Please review!**


	5. The Last Flying Grayson

**Chapter Five: The Last Flying Grayson**

**A/N: Honestly, I meant to make this one a little **_**less **_**dramatic, but I'm in a dramatic mood, and I think this is really important to include in here. I'm glad you guys seem to be liking this so far, and I promise that I'll update with a funnier chapter soon. Am I the only one who gets overly emotionally invested in these characters?**

It was time.

Dick had been talking to Bruce all night about it, and after arguments and protests from both of them, in what strongly resembled a courtroom battle, Bruce had finally relented, and in the end, he had agreed that it was time.

Robin was now sixteen years old, and had been working with the team, for the past three years. He trusted them all with his life. He was glad that Bruce had finally been able to see that.

He entered Mount Justice with an air of purpose. He was dressed as a civilian, with his dark glasses covering his eyes.

His friends were already in the living room, sprawled either on the couch, or around it. They had all changed a little in the last few years. M'gann had started to wear her hair a bit shorter, so it was near her shoulders, and her outfit had turned into jeans with a sweater and shirt, instead of a skirt. Conner hadn't really changed, obviously, but the sleeves of his shirt were longer.

Wally was the same, but he had taken to wearing an old brown jacket, and he had grown in height. Artemis had barely changed at all, except for cutting her hair so it wasn't nearly as long as before. Zatanna had grown in height as well, but other than that, she was exactly the same.

Robin himself, was taller as well, and muscle had become a little more apparent, although he was still by far the smallest on the team, and his hair had gotten a little longer, so it almost reached his ears.

"Hey, Rob." Wally greeted, from his place next to Artemis. Robin was happy that they had finally smartened up, and were going out. It had been so obvious that they liked each other for so long, it had been painful to watch.

Zatanna frowned.

"Robin?" She questioned. "Are you okay?" Robin realized that he had slipped into the mini Bat-Glare he always used when he was thinking about something way to hard.

"I'm…. fine." He said. He was nervous. Wow. That was weird. Nervousness was something he had become accustomed to when he lived in the circus, but he hadn't felt it like this in a long time.

By this point, all of his friends had somewhat gathered around him.

"I…. I have something to tell you." He had to push out each word, but he forced himself to keep going.

Aqualad frowned. "What is it?" He questioned.

Robin took a deep breath.

"It took a while." He began. "But Batman finally agreed that it was time for all of you to know."

Conner frowned.

"It's time for us, to know what?"

Robin bit his lip. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, and allowed a small smile to slowly grace his features.

He reached up, and pulled his glasses away from his face. He folded them carefully, without looking up from his hands, tucked them into his pocket, then looked at his teammates for the first time, with his own eyes.

A collective gasp rippled through the small crowd. Robin smiled hesitantly.

"It's time you knew my name. It's Richard Grayson. Most people call me Dick." Artemis made a strange choking sound.

"As in, The Flying Graysons!?" Dick's heart fell. He glanced down. His delicately shaped blue eyes were cast downwards. "Yeah." He said.

"Didn't we see a poster for them at the Haly Circus a few years ago?" Conner asked. Dick shrugged. "I grew up there, until my parents…. Were… ki-killed."

Zatanna didn't wait for another second. She pulled her boyfriend into a hug. He leaned into her, and hugged her back.

The others joined in, and it became a slightly awkward group hug.

"I can't believe we really never knew your name." Artemis said. "My mom took me to see your family perform when I was a kid. You were really good. I remember thinking that it was insane to let such a little kid do that." Robin laughed softly.

"Trust me, the whole world thought we were crazy." His expression grew sadder. "I guess I'm kind of the last of my kind."

"I like your name." Zatanna put in. "Thanks." Dick muttered. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys' earlier, but-"

"I'm sure they understand." Wally said. Artemis pulled away and scowled at him. "I should've known you already knew! How long have you known?"

Wally and Dick exchanged sheepish looks. "Actually, Artemis." Dick said, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.

"Wally's known since I started being Robin. So, about eight years."

There was a long silence. Zatanna was the one who eventually broke it.

"You have really beautiful eyes."

Everyone smiled at that.

**A/N: Was that kind of cheesy? If it was, I apologize. Please review! I'll have the next chapter up soon!**


	6. Blind Sided

**Chapter Six: Blind Sided**

**A/N: Sorry it's been so long since I last updated, and hopefully this chapter fits into the "amazing" category, and as requested, I bring you, more Batgirl.**

It was supposed to be a simple mission.

Oh, were they wrong.

It wasn't really even a mission, just another nightly patrol in Gotham. Batman, Batgirl, and Robin were chasing after a drug dealer who was trying to escape after they had caught his men.

Batgirl and Robin exchanged glances with Batman, and they received the silent message loud a clear. _Cut him off. _They nodded so he knew they understood, and Batgirl lead the way around a building, and up onto a rooftop.

She and Robin leaped from the ledge, and landed in front of the escaping criminal.

"Hold it!" Robin said. Batgirl smiled. "You've got nowhere to run."

The man was alarmed for a few minutes, before slipping into a grin. He pulled something from his pocket, a gun, and aimed, and fired.

"Batgirl!" Robin cried. She was too shocked to react, but Robin acted on impulse. He pushed her out of the way, sending her sprawling onto the cold wet concrete. She regained her bearings just in time to see the bullet clip the side of Robin's head.

He went down. Just like that. There was a moment where everything seemed to be going in slow motion. Batgirl was stunned. The dealer took that moment as an advantage, and tried to make a break for it. Batman wasn't having that.

He appeared from the shadows, and jabbed his fist into the man's stomach, sending him crashing to the ground. Batman tightened cuffs around his wrists and ankles. He dragged him to a dumpster, and dumped him in.

"Don't you _ever _hurt _my _son." He spat. He slammed the dumpster. He would call the commissioner and let him know where the dealer would be.

Meanwhile, Batgirl had crawled over to Robin. She lifted him gently, so she was holding him up with one arm. "Robin?" She choked. She swept a piece of his dark hair out of his eyes. She wanted to throw up when she saw what had happened to the bullet. It wasn't very good quality, so at the angle it had hit, it had broken into two pieces of shrapnel. One lodging itself on either side of Robin's head.

But what really worried her, was how close they were to his closed eyes.

Batman materialized at her side. He cursed under his breath, and reached into his utility belt. A pair of tweezers was held in his hand. "Is that a good idea?" Batgirl asked. Batman frowned. "We have to get the pieces out. While they're in there they're burning him." Batgirl swallowed, but nodded.

She squeezed Robin's hand reassuringly as Batman pulled the shrapnel out. Robin didn't even flinch. When he was done, Batman used an alcohol pad to wipe the blood. Then, he wrapped gauze around Robin's eyes. Batgirl held his head up to make it easier.

"B-Batgirl?" Robin muttered. He was waking up! "Robin?" She asked. _Thank God! _She held him close to her chest. "Its okay, Robin." She soothed. "You're okay."

"I-I ca-can't see." He said. Batgirl felt like her heart was being squeezed. "I-I know Dick." She whispered. "But, it'll be okay. You just have to trust me. We'll take care of you."

He nodded slowly, and she felt him go limp against her. For a scary moment she as afraid something was wrong, but then she realized that he was just asleep.

"I'll carry him." Batman said. Batgirl nodded wordlessly, and handed Robin over. She watched as Batman wrapped his cape protectively around his young ward.

They climbed into the Bat-mobile.

Bruce went to lay Dick in the back, but Barbra didn't want him to wake up alone in the dark, so she sat there as well, with his head in her lap.

It wasn't long before they reached the Bat-Cave.

Alfred helped Barbra clean and re-bandage Dick's eyes, while Bruce called the commissioner.

"How is he?" Bruce asked, coming back over. Alfred sighed. "He'll survive." He answered. "But there is damage to his optic nerves. Hopefully it will only be a temporary blindness, but…." Barbra felt like her whole world was falling apart. Her little brother could be blind? It didn't feel real. And it was all her fault.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up into Bruce's blue eyes. "This is not your fault." He said. Barbra nodded numbly.

"You should go home." Bruce suggested. Barbra squeezed Dick's hand one more time, before leaving.

She just hoped he would be okay.

All through school the next day Barbra kept her cell phone in her hand, hoping that the teacher wouldn't catch her with it.

It finally did ring at lunch. Barbra had been up all night worrying about Dick, and she had been half asleep all day. The sudden noise scared her so much, she knocked her lunch all over her skirt.

Everyone stared at her, and she hurried to the bathroom before anyone noticed her blushing. She answered the phone as she brushed the macaroni off of her clothes with a piece of paper towel.

"Hello?"

She almost dropped the phone when Dick's voice answered.

"Hey, Barbra."

"Dick! You're okay!"

"Yeah," He said. "I….I can't see though." Barbra's heart fell. As if sensing her mood, Dick said, "It doesn't hurt! Alfred said that the nerves the bullet damaged should heal, in a few weeks."

Barbra tried for a small smile, even though he wouldn't be able to see it, even if he didn't have bandages over his eyes.

"I'm gonna come over right after school, to see you. I promise."

"Okay," Dick said. "Thanks."

And that was the end of the call.

Barbra closed her cell phone with a click, and stepped out of the bathroom.

She didn't know if she would be able to survive the rest of the school day, but she had to try.

If only her teachers knew why she was distracted.

Dick was trying to get used to not being able to see. Which obviously, was a lot easier said than done.

He had started out in his bedroom, like Alfred had suggested, and had made it around three times now without crashing into anything. The bandages felt strange over his eyes, but he was starting to get used to them.

He felt around for the doorknob, and stepped hesitantly into the hallway beyond it.

There was a footstep behind him, to light to be Bruce, to quiet to be Alfred. Dick swept his foot forward, effectively knocking whoever it was off their feet.

There was a startled cry, feminine. A girl.

"Barbra!" Dick exclaimed. He offered the fallen girl his hand, and she took it. "God, Dick, I thought you were supposed to be blind."

The twelve year old smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, guess I kind of overreacted."

Barbra put her hand on his shoulder, and steered him to his room.

They sat on his bed in silence for a while.

"I thought this would be a lot less….."

Barbra paused, searching for the right word.

"Awkward?" Dick supplied. Barbra smiled. "Yeah, how are you doing?"

Dick sighed. "I'm okay. It's weird, I can't imagine being blind forever."

She nudged his shoulder with her arm. "Don't sound so sad Boy Blunder, I'm sure it'll be okay."

He smiled weakly.

"Barbra." She looked up to see Bruce enter the room.

"There's an emergency. The Penguin's causing havoc in East Gotham."

Barbra nodded. "I'll see you later." Barbra promised.

"Okay."

Neither of them noticed the expression on Dick's face.

The door closed with a deafening thud.

Dick sighed. He brought his hand up to the bandages around his eyes, trying to get used to them.

He touched a still sensitive spot and winced. "Ow."

He tried to occupy himself, which was difficult without being able to see.

He sat on his knees, feeling around on the wall behind his bed, where he knew it should be, until his hands came across what he was looking for.

The rough poster was old, so it was more textured with age, then it would have been when it was new.

An old Flying Graysons poster.

He huffed, tracing the place he knew his mother's face would be.

He hoped Barbra and Bruce would be okay.

Obviously they could handle themselves, but he still couldn't help but wonder.

He slid off the bed, and felt his way across the room.

He knelt again, and pulled back the carpet. He ran his hands over the wood until he came to the loose floorboard.

He pulled out the shoebox he had hidden there and opened it.

He knew what it contained by heart. Pictures of his old friends from the Circus.

He hated the idea that he might not be able to see their faces again. What he had told Barbra had been a lie. He might not be able to recover from this.

That thought scared him more than anything had in years.

That's when he heard it.

At first he wasn't sure where the buzzing sound was coming from, but then he realized it was from the communicator in his pocket.

His blood ran cold.

He dug it out and flipped it open.

It was a live feed from the battle between Batman, Batgirl, and Penguin.

He could hear sounds of fighting, and a scream. That sounded like Barbra!

They were in trouble!

Not even thinking about it, he was running to the stairs. To avoid killing himself, he sat on the railing and slid down, before hopping off the end, and doing his best to navigate the halls, feeling his way along the walls, until he came across the grandfather clock.

He pulled the lever, and stumbled down the stairs into the Bat Cave.

He found his costume, and changed in record time.

Alfred was there as well, but he knew Dick couldn't see him, he also knew that there was nothing he could do to stop him, but he made sure to track him through the communicator, just in case the backup needed backup.

Robin set the Bat-Plane on auto pilot, since he would probably end up crashing into a building if he tried to steer, after punching in the location.

It wasn't long before he could hear sounds of fighting below him.

He landed the plane and listened his way to the fight.

He could hear laughter. That was definitely the Penguin.

He pulled a bat-a-rang from his belt, it unfolded with a flick of his wrist.

He threw it, hoping to high heaven that it didn't hit his friends instead.

It collided with something, because there was a solid thunk sound.

The Penguin pulled the bat-a-rang out of his umbrella and stared at the newcomer.

The Boy Blunder was standing a few feet behind him. He looked like he was listening for something. The Penguin realized, with a start, that the kid was wearing bandages over his eyes. He couldn't see.

The Penguin smirked at Batman, who was holding Batgirl who was unconscious.

"This is your reinforcements?" Batman glared at him. "Robin! Go home! You're in no condition to fight!"

"You need someone to help." Robin argued. "I can do this. Agent A thinks the nerves are almost done healing."

That part was true. That didn't mean he'd be able to see.

"Please," Penguin snorted. "A blind bat? This is almost too good to be true!"

Robin readied another bat-a-rang in his hand.

He didn't know exactly where Penguin was, but he had a rough idea. He threw the bat-a-rang, and once again, it hit something.

The Penguin laughed. Oh, Robin was in so much trouble.

He heard something coming, and ducked, feinting to the left before he came up behind the Penguin. Penguin turned and rammed his umbrella into Robin's side.

All the breath was knocked out of him, and he had a feeling that if he survived, there would be a pretty nasty bruise where the umbrella had hit.

He stumbled back a few steps.

"This is not working." He muttered. His gloved hand went instinctively to his eyes. The bandages were starting to feel restraining, like he was tied up.

He knew he had to do something, and he couldn't do it with these bandages on.

He used the bat-a-rang in his hand, to slice through them.

He could practically feel Penguin, and Batman staring.

The bandages dropped from his eyes, and to the ground. He kept his eyes closed, almost too afraid to open them.

When he finally did, the dim street lights almost seemed too bright. Everything was hazy and blurry. He could vaguely make out the forms of Penguin standing a few feet away from him, and Batman and Batgirl, farther behind.

He blinked a few times. His eyes hurt, but he realized, he could see!

He also realized, he wasn't wearing his mask. Luckily for him, it was too dark for the Penguin to be able to make out his features, but he pulled the mask from his belt and fitted it over his eyes, just in case.

If there was one thing he had learned from Batman, it was that it was always better to be safe than sorry.

He unfolded the bat-a-rang in his hand with a click.

The Penguin gulped. "Oh, no." Robin smiled.

The bat-a-rang hit its target, splitting off into a net, effectively trapping the Penguin. His umbrella hit the ground with a dull clunking noise.

By this point, Batgirl had woken up, and Batman was helping her to stand.

"Are you alright?" Batgirl nodded. She looked at Robin, who was standing next to them. "Are you okay?" She asked. "Robin, you're not wearing your bandages." Robin shrugged. "I can see." Batgirl pulled him into a hug, and refused to let go.

They rode home in a comfortable silence.

Alfred still insisted that Robin wear bandages over his eyes for a few more days, just to be safe, but before any of them knew it, he was back to being his old self.

He had really come through for them.

Not that they had ever doubted him. But he was young. And they were allowed to worry.

But with the Boy Wonder around, the bad guys better beware.

**A/N: Hew, this one took me days! I kind of played with their ages a little, because I really like the big sister little brother relationship between Barbra and Dick, that you sort of see in The Batman TV show. Sorry the rest of the team wasn't in this, but I wanted to do a more Bat Family centric chapter. Please review! And seriously, I would love to have some suggestions for the next couple of chapters!**


	7. Close

**Chapter Seven: Close**

"Batman." The way the commissioner said his name, made Batman uncomfortable. It was painfully obvious that something was wrong.

"What is it, commissioner?" He asked. "What happened?"

Commissioner Gordon removed his hat, and looked at Batman with a sad and sympathetic expression. This was going to be bad. "There's been a-a….. Death in the family." He said.

Batman was pretty sure the commissioner wasn't talking about his own family, and that just worried Batman even more.

"Who's family?" He questioned. Gordon hesitated.

"Y-your family." Batman's heart skipped a beat. He made a mental checklist of everyone in his family. Alfred and Tim were safely at home, Barbra was helping with set design for a play at the Children's Hospital, and Jason was….well, he highly doubted that Jason was in any danger.

But that only left one member of the Bat Family. Oh God. No.

"I'm sorry." Commissioner Gordon said. "I-I can't imagine losing my daughter. I'm so, sorry." As he spoke, four police officers emerged from the darkness.

They carried a stretcher, covered with a silver emergency blanket between them.

"We caught the guy who did it." Gordon promised. "He won't be seeing daylight for a long time. I promise."

The solemn faced officers set the stretcher down gently in front of Batman.

"I'm sorry, for your loss." One said. "The whole city lost a great young man today." Batman nodded to her.

His gloved hand hovered over the silver foil.

He hated himself for hesitating.

This was his son's body lying before him. His son's _dead _body. Batman bit his lip until he tasted blood. Carefully, and slowly, he pulled back the blanket, to reveal Nightwing's face. The white slits of his mask were closed, which gave the idea that his eyes were closed as well.

"None of us took the mask off." The female officer promised.

Batman stared down at Dick's face. He looked almost peaceful. A soft breeze ruffled Dick's jagged black bangs. A smile flashed through Bruce's mind. Dick's smile. When he had performed with his parents at the circus, when he had become Robin, when the Young Justice Team had been formed.

It killed Bruce that he would never see that smile again.

Dick would never come sliding down the railing on the staircase at Wayne Manor again.

He would never help Tim with his homework.

He would never keep Jason from making fun of Tim.

He would never help Alfred wash dishes.

He would never beat Wally in their sparing sessions.

He would never help to fix any of their problems anymore.

He would never even see the sun.

Bruce gathered Dick up in his arms, and held him close to his chest, wrapping him in his cloak just like how Dick had used to hide from the members of the Justice League when he was little.

Tears slid down Bruce's cheeks. He rocked Dick's still body back and forth. His tears mingled with the blood on Dick's face.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. "I'm sorry, I couldn't protect you. I promised I would always protect you."

It was the saddest and most broken moment that Gotham City would never see.

The police officers bowed their heads, respectfully keeping their distance from the grieving father. Commissioner Gordon wondered how this could have happened.

How could things like this happen in Gotham?

Nightwing couldn't have been older than eighteen years old. Had he even graduated yet?

How could this city let such terrible things happen to such young people?

Commissioner Gordon had never imagined seeing The Batman like this. There was no way to deny that Batman really was crying, and who could blame him?

They had never really known what Batman's connection to Batgirl, Robin, and Nightwing was, but they all treated each other in the respectful, caring, and yet joking manner, that showed that they knew, and loved each other.

"Please," Batman whispered, so only Dick would be able to hear, if he were still alive. "Open your eyes Dick. Please. Please, don't die."

There was a soft sound, like a cough. Batman's eyes flew open he stared down at Dick. Had he been imagining it? Then it happened again. There was that coughing sound. No, not a sound, it really was a cough.

A cough from Dick.

"D-"Batman caught himself. "Nightwing?"

Lone behold, Nightwing's eyelids fluttered, and then opened. Batman only stared. "D-don't bury me yet." Nightwing murmured, smiling weakly. Every police officer and Commissioner Gordon looked up in shock.

Batman was stunned but he tore away the rest of the blanket to reveal Nightwing's chest, where two bullet wounds could clearly be seen. Blood was still fresh on them. "Alien st-stunner." Dick choked. "I think they were hoping you would bury me alive."

Batman pulled Nightwing close to him, burying his face in Dick's soft black hair. "Don't you dare ever scare me like that again." Bruce ordered. Dick smiled tiredly. "O-okay."

"B-but his pulse was gone!" An officer exclaimed. "He was dead!" Batman shot him a look and he shut up. _Fast._

"Alien technology can do that to humans." Batman said. "All it needed was a little time to wear off."

Batman helped Nightwing to his feet, who instantly stumbled, but Bruce was there to catch him. He draped his cloak around Dick, and guided him to the alleyway where he had the batmobile parked. "What about the bullets?" Gordon asked, snapping out of his shock. Dick smiled back at him. "Kevlar." He said. "They didn't go in deep. I'll be okay, thanks commissioner."

"It's good to see you alive." Gordon said. "Take care of your kids." He said to Dick at first, and then to Batman.

"Thanks you." Batman said. And with that, they were gone. Vanishing into the darkness, just as Bats do.

There was nothing in this world that could split their family up more than it already had. You couldn't keep any of them down for long. Whether you have legs of your own or not, there will always be someone, or something there for you to lean on. A reason to keep going, and keep living.

**A/N: Sorry for the wait guys. Hope you liked it! I would love to have some ideas for the next few chapters! Please review!**


	8. April Fool's Day

**Chapter Eight: April Fool's Day**

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm sorry this took so long, but I got an awesome suggestion from one of you and I apologize about this in advance because to get Romanian I have to use Google Translate which might not be the best and they don't have Romani, so just bear with me. I'm pretending Romanian is Romani. I'm sorry if this offends anyone. On with the story!**

"What are you hiding?" Robin shut the notebook as Wally stuck his face over the pages. "Ow!" Wally exclaimed, taking a step back and holding his nose where the closing pages had slapped him. "It's nothing." Robin said, clutching his notebook close to his chest. "It's none of your business." Wally gave him a disbelieving look. "Come on Rob! You're a bat! You're always hiding something! What is it?" Robin snorted. "If I was hiding something involving the Bat Family what makes you think I would be able to show you anyway?"

Wally pouted. Robin really hoped his friend didn't press him any further. He didn't want anyone to see what was really in the book. If anyone started asking questions, especially today, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to keep in his emotions.

No one could know. No one could ever know. He was briefly reminded of the movie Frozen, by that thought, but quickly shook his head to clear his head. The last thing he needed on his mind right now was a talking snowman and a runaway ice princess.

"Awwwww!" Wally complained. "Come on! Please? I'll be your best friend." Robin snorted and shoved him gently out of the way. "You are my best friend, Kid Mouth, unless something's changed in the last five minutes. "Now, I have to go. Br-"He caught himself. Had he really almost just called Bruce by his real name in front of a teammate? He mentally slapped himself. He was losing it. He had an awful burning sensation in his nose and behind his eyes. His stomach churned. He felt sick.

"Hey," Wally said, placing a hand on his friend's small shoulder. "Are you okay? You seem kind of out of it today." Robin snapped. He just wanted to be left alone!

"Pleaca! Va rog doar pleaca!" As soon as the words had escaped, Robin clamped one hand over his mouth, the other still held his little red notebook with all his might.

"Whoa!" Artemis exclaimed, having heard what he said. "What the heck was that?" Now Kaulder, M'gann, Conner and Wally were surrounding him. They obviously couldn't tell how enclosed they were making Robin feel. There was another reason why they had decided to call him Robin in the Batcave. He hated being trapped and restricted. There was nowhere for him to go. He really just wanted to get out of here and go hide in the forest at Wayne Manor or something. Anything really to get away from here.

"Romani." He muttered. "Now move!" He ducked under Conner's arm and headed towards the exit. Kaulder caught his arm, and spun the thirteen year old around to face him. It was times like these that the rest of the team realized just how tiny and fragile their youngest looked. "Are you alright?" What is this about Romani? I was told no one used this language anymore."

"What's Romani?" Wally questioned. "Moron." Artemis muttered, swatting Wally's shoulder. "It's a language commonly used by…" Artemis trailed off. Her dark grey eyes settled on Robin's tensed form. "Oh no way Bird Boy. I can't believe this. You're a-"Robin freed himself from Kaulder's grasp. "Okay, okay! I'm a gypsy!" Everyone gaped. Robin scowled. "What? Never seen a real circus freak before?"

In the commotion, Robin had dropped his notebook. It was now lying next to Conner's foot. He picked it up. It was open. He glanced at the page he could see. A photograph had been taped into the book. There was a big circus tent in the background, with two clowns, a man and a woman who were dressed like acrobats, an older man dressed up as if he were a ringmaster, and a little boy with ruffled black hair and the brightest blue eyes Conner had ever seen. He had a huge smile on his face, and it was obvious that he was right where he belonged. There was a small monkey clinging to his shoulder.

But it was the old man who really caught the clone's attention.

"Hey, isn't this Jack Haly?" He held the book up for the others to see. He tapped the man in the photo with a forefinger. Robin's skin paled. "Rahat." He muttered. **(A/N: Just a heads up, remember I'm using Google Translate so this might not be accurate, but what he said before meant, "Go away! Please just go away!" And what he said now means, "Crap." Got it? Okay, moving on)**

"You're right Con." Artemis said. "That is him! Robin, what is he doing in your notebook?" Robin looked as if he wanted to say something to deny it, but eventually, he just took a deep breath and a small pained smile formed on his lips. He approached Conner slowly and gently took the book from him.

"Gather around children." He said, although there was no humor in his voice. "It's story time."

He opened the notebook to the first page. There was writing, but it was all done in a language no one but Robin could understand. He flicked through it and they could see more pictures. Some of them had been hand drawn with crayon, by someone who was probably quite young. Others were photographs. Most of them featured circus tents, and the man and woman acrobats from the first picture.

Finally Robin stopped on a picture featuring the acrobats and the little boy with blue eyes. He handed the book to Wally. "Does this kid look like anyone you know?" They all crowded behind Wally to peer over his shoulder. The kid had a big happy smile. They all looked up at Robin who gave them a similar smile. The glasses protected his eyes from view, but they weren't smiling with the rest of his face. "Holy crap!" Wally dropped the book as if it had burned him. "That's you!"

"Awwwww!" The girls cooed. "You were so cute! You at you in your little costume!" Robin scowled, but he wasn't really angry. "Look, that mission where we went to the Haly Circus? That wasn't assigned by Batman. That was my choice. I grew up at that circus. Jack Haly was like my grandpa since I never knew my real one. I couldn't just leave him to the Police. I'm sorry about not telling any of you before."

There was silence before Artemis dared to ask the question that was on everyone's mind. "So…..don't take this the wrong way, but how did someone like you…..a kid in the circus, end up becoming Batman's sidekick?" Robin tilted his head to the side like a bird. "Simple. My parents died. Batman adopted me. Cool, right?" The others gaped once again. "How can you say it like it happens every day?" Wally said.

"Your parents died and The Batman just happens to pick you up on his nightly patrol?" Robin shrugged.

"Parintii mei au fost ucis, bine?"

"What?" Conner asked. Robin picked up the book and made his way to the Zeta Beams. He pressed a button and stepped inside. "Look it up. By the way, happy April Fool's Day."

And with that, he was gone.

Later that day, towards nightfall, Dick Grayson stood before his parents' graves. In his arms he carried a bundle of red roses and bright colored tulips. They were supposed to be a sign of eternal love. "Hey mom." Dick whispered. "Hi dad." The graveyard was mostly empty. No one liked to hang around in Gotham at night. But a few visitors were still wandering the isles of graves. A young woman stopped next to Dick.

"Your parents?" She asked. Dick nodded weakly. The woman didn't offer a smile, she didn't even look at him. She just looked at the graves. She was carrying a bouquet of white roses. "I'm visiting my mom." The woman pointed towards a large headstone that looked newer than the Grayson ones. "She loved April Fool's Day. It was her favorite. Kind of ironic that she died on the day she loved so much, don't you think. Kind of a sick joke, huh?" Dick looked at her. She had kind green eyes. "Don't worry." She squeezed his hand gently.

"No one will forget Mary and John Grayson. My mom took me to see you guys perform once. You were great. Can you still do all that stuff?" Dick snorted. "Yeah." He said. _If only you knew. _The woman was looking at him oddly. "You know, you've got really nice hair?" Dick gave her a questioning look. The woman blushed. "Sorry, that probably sounded kind of creepy. I'm a hairdresser, well, actually, I do hair and makeup for movies. I was really into Batman when I was a kid. I was curious about Robin too. You ever given them much thought?"

"Sometimes."

"Well, you kind of look like the pictures I've seen of Robin."

Dick forced the rising panic down. "Oh yeah? Is that a good thing?"

The woman smiled softly. On second thought, she wasn't really a woman. She was probably more around two years older than Robin. "It's a great thing. You know why?" Dick shook his head. "It means you've got a good face. The face of a hero." Without saying anything else, the girl handed Dick two white roses. "Give these to your mom and dad, will you? Thanks." Dick stopped her as she began to turn away. "Wait!" She looked back. "Just- thanks." He offered a small smile, which she returned. "No problem. We orphans have to stick together, right?" Dick pressed an orange tulip into her gloved hand. "For your mom."

The girl smiled. "Thanks." And then she was gone.

Dick placed the flowers on his parents' graves. "Te iubesc." (I love you)

"Hey," Dick whirled around.

To his shock, he saw his teammates. All of them were dressed as civilians. Each one held a different kind of flower in their hands. Wally came to his side and smiled kindly. "We looked up what you said. They were murdered. Right?" Dick got over his shock and nodded numbly. He didn't think he could trust himself to speak.

M'gann put her arm around Dick's shoulders. She held a daffodil. "I'm sorry." Slowly, each friend placed a different flower on the graves. A daffodil, forget-me-not, tiger lily, and a daisy.

"Multumesc." Dick murmured. (Thank you)

His friends smiled and trapped him in a group hug. Dick allowed them to shelter him from everything he had been trying so hard to block out. His friends were here for him.

There was no need to be afraid anymore.

"Any more surprises?" Artemis asked. Dick laughed softly. "Just one. I speak seven other languages fluently. Just to keep you updated."

**A/N: Cheesy? Not cheesy? Review please!**


	9. Catch

Artemis knew they were losing.

She and Nightwing had been sent on a small mission against the Penguin, normally Batman would deal with this, but the Penguin wasn't exactly the most powerful enemy in Gotham, and Bane had just broken out. Again.

Nightwing had experience with handling Penguin, so Batman had asked them to do it, while the rest of the team was elsewhere.

Unfortunately, the Penguin had been proactive this time, and had a small army of thugs waiting for them.

Nightwing and Artemis were normally really good at working together, but it was hard to work together when they couldn't find each other in the crowd. Artemis had lost track of the seventeen year old within a few minutes.

And now, two thugs were holding her arms, her bow was lying broken a few feet away, and another had a foot on her chest.

"Goodbye, Arty," The thug sneered, then he shoved her off the side of the building, and she fell to the cold unforgiving ground, nearly three hundred feet below.

There was nothing she could do, she closed her eyes, and waited for death. But the impact she had been expecting, never came.

"I got you." She felt someone's arms around her, they were holding her tightly, so she wouldn't fall, but gently so they wouldn't hurt her. She cracked her eyes open, and looked up into Nightwing's masked eyes.

He was holding her with one arm, and was holding onto his grappling hook with the other. They were swinging away from the building where Artemis had almost died, and off into the night.

"Thanks." She breathed. "But what about Penguin?" Nightwing smiled at her. He gestured downwards, and when Artemis looked, she saw Penguin and his men tied up and waiting for Police that Nightwing had called. Artemis put her arms around him, trying to make it easier for him.

"Good catch."

"KF! Look out!" Robin's warning came a little too late, and before he knew it, Cobra, rammed into him, and sent him toppling over the edge, and off of a cliff.

He tried to use his powers, but found that he was too tired.

The team had been sent to investigate yet another Cobra-Venom drug deal, and once again, it hadn't exactly gone the way they thought it would.

Kid Flash plummeted from the cliff. He had no control of his fall. "Ahhhhhh!" He cried. This was it! His parents were going to kill him! That is, if the fall didn't do that first.

"Hold on!" Kid Flash couldn't see who had spoken but it had sounded like Robin. What could he be doing? There was no way he would be able to save him!

But lone behold a small arm wrapped around Kid Flash's and grabbed on as tightly as the gloved hand could. "Don't you _dare _let go!" KF was so surprised he barely had time to react before they were being pulled up by Superboy and Aqualad.

"Guys!" Miss Martian exclaimed, running to their side as soon as they were back on solid ground. "Are you okay?"

Kid Flash turned to face his best friend.

Robin was staring at him with huge masked eyes. He shook slightly. "R-Robin?" KF stuttered.

"What happened?"

"He caught you. Kid Idiot." Artemis explained. Besides the scathing tone, she seemed to be relieved.

Before KF could say anything else, Robin's arms wrapped around him in a hug. "You are an _idiot_!" Robin cried, his voice was muffled in Kid Flash's uniform.

Kid Flash was so stunned all he could think to say was, "Thanks. Great catch."

Flying.

That really should have been in Superboy's arsenal.

He was beginning to believe that the universe just really hated him.

He had gone after Lex Luthor again while he had been visiting Gotham City.

One thing had led to another and now Superboy was falling out of a helicopter at rapid speed having been pushed by Luthor himself.

Great way to treat your "son"

Superboy wouldn't have been so worried about the impact but he was only half Kryptonian so only half invincible and he remembered hearing something about the lab he was about to crash into containing Kryptonite.

He was going to die.

"Oh no you don't!" The voice was so sudden Superboy would have jumped out of his skin if he hadn't already been falling to his death.

A jet black plane of some kind shot out of the clouds below him.

Before his stunned blue eyes, the cockpit slid open and the one and only Boy Wonder appeared for him to see. He waved at Superboy.

He had his hands cupped on either side of his mouth as if he were trying to tell him something but it was lost in the wind.

But when Robin pointed at the backseat of the cockpit Superboy got the general idea. Robin gave him a thumbs up and Superboy shakily returned it to show he understood.

This was going to be close.

Way too close.

Superboy tucked in his arms and aimed straight for that seat.

He landed with a loud THUD! That jarred the plane so badly they did a loop-de-loop in the air and both had to fight to stay aboard until Robin managed to wrestle the cockpit closed.

When they were flying straight again Superboy realized just how close to death he had been.

He shuddered.

"You okay back there, Superboy?" Robin asked.

"Y-yeah." He said. "How did you know where I'd be?"

"Honestly?" Robin responded. "I didn't. I didn't even know you were here. Batman's off doing something important and I was left to do clean up duty from a recent fire a couple blocks from here. The Bat-Wing picked up something strange on the radar and I went to check it out."

He offered Superboy a small smile.

"I'm glad I did."

"Thanks." Superboy said.

"What for?" Robin asked.

"For catching me."

"I always do."

There was something eerily final about a gun shot.

The sound still rang in Batgirl's ears.

The world seemed to slow down around her.

She saw the Joker pull the trigger.

She saw the bullet emerge from the barrel.

She watched as it hurtled towards her but there was nothing she could do.

It was too late.

When it hit, Batgirl's world turned completely red. She recognized the sickening crunch as it hit bone. Blood splattered against the rooftop.

Batgirl gasped, her brown eyes going wide with shock.

"No!" That was Nightwing's voice and suddenly the world sped back up.

The Joker's maniacal laughter was by far the loudest noise as Batgirl crumpled and fell from the ledge.

Her eyes remained open just a crack as she fell.

She didn't even have enough strength to comprehend exactly what was happening to her to be truly afraid. But at the same time she was sad.

She was sad because she would die without ever telling her father her secret. How would Batman and Nightwing explain this to him?

She was sad because she was supposed to go to Gotham University later that year.

She was sad because she had loved Dick so much and now she would never get to spend the rest of her life with him.

She was sad for her friends and family because she was about to die without being able to tell any of them goodbye.

Tears leaked from her eyes and flew upwards as she continued to fall downwards.

They glistened in the starlight.

Maybe dying wouldn't be so bad…..

Then strong arms circled her waist and she was pulled securely against someone's chest. "I have you." The voice assured her. "Don't be scared. Please." The voice was shaking and terrified. Dick….?

Batgirl used what little energy she could muster to tilt her head upward to look at her rescuers' face. It was Nightwing.

He had saved her from a certain death.

He had caught her before she could fall too far.

Nightwing and Batgirl swung through the Gotham night air and Batgirl was sad again because she knew this would be the last time. Whether she died or not the bullet wound in her back would prevent her from being who she was.

They set down on a shorter building. Dick wouldn't let her go.

One hand held her supportively while the other wrapped a make-shift bandage around her wound, trying to stop the blood flow.

"D-Dick?" She managed. "Shhhh." He hushed gently. "It's going to be okay." His voice caught slightly but he forced himself to continue. "You're going to be o-okay. I promise."

She listened to his voice and no matter what was going to happen in the future all that mattered now was that he had caught her on time.

He had promised to always protect her and he always would.

"Okay." She sighed, resting her head against his shoulder.

"I trust you."

Later that night with Barbra safely in the hospital Batman, Nightwing, and Robin went out to make sure the Joker got what was coming to him.

Although the Joker would live, he would never smile again.

And the 32 broken teeth, tufts of green hair, and blood that were left behind on that rooftop as well as the special package the Bat Family had dropped off at Arkham Asylum were enough to let Gotham PD know that justice had been served.

A few days later, Barbra was sitting in her hospital bed with Dick sitting in a chair next to her. He had dropped off some things from home for her along with flowers and bat shaped cookies Alfred had made.

Finally she couldn't take the silence any longer.

She reached out and pulled him close.

She nestled her face against the shoulder of his worn out jacket and threaded her hand in his black hair. "Good catch, Bird Boy."

**A/N: OMG! That one took a while. But I hope you guys liked it! Sorry about the wait! Any more suggestions for future chapters would be appreciated! Whatever you guys want to read about I'll try to write about! Please review! ****J**


	10. Babybird

**Chapter Ten: Babybird**

"You cannot be serious."

To say Dick Grayson was a little peeved about the surprising revelation of a new Robin coming into the picture, was the understatement of the century.

He was even angrier that Bruce had "forgotten" to tell him about the newest addition to the family.

"He came to me." Bruce snapped.

Dick rolled his eyes. "Uh huh. Like I came to you? You adopted me after the freaking police department wouldn't let me go with the circus! Where did this kid come from? The zoo?"

Bruce was obviously trying and failing to contain his annoyance.

Dick was not appreciating the effort.

"Look, I knew how you would feel about this after what happened to the last one-"

"Jason." Dick snapped, his arms folded across his chest. "His name was Jason. Use it."

Bruce sighed, but nodded anyway.

He knew Dick was right.

It was crazy to bring another innocent child into this, but Tim needed it. Just like Dick and Jason had.

"I don't want another kid getting hurt like Jason." Dick continued. "I don't mind if you adopt him, but Robin? Why?"

"Because Gotham needs the Batman." Bruce shot back. "He lowered his voice a little from its previously raised tone. "And whether I like it or not, Batman needs Robin."

Dick's angry expression fell.

He sighed and rubbed his masked eyes.

"Okay. But how can you be sure you can protect him this time?"

"I can't be." Bruce admitted.

"But I can put him in a safer situation. I want you to introduce him to the team. He can be the new Robin."

Dick almost wanted to protest, then thought better of it and kept his mouth shut.

It would be safer for the kid around other heroes. Other heroes with powers.

His shoulders slumped in defeat. "Fine. But if it doesn't work out we are finding something safer. Got that?"

Bruce actually smiled slightly.

"I'll drop him off tomorrow."

Nightwing hadn't been expecting the ten year old boy Batman dropped outside the cave the next morning. Honestly, he hadn't been sure what he was supposed to think.

Tim was tiny. His black hair was a little spiky. He stood easily three feet shorter than Nightwing.

But he stared up at the older hero with a mixture of curiosity and reserved intelligence.

"Hi." Tim said after a while of awkwardness.

"Hi." Dick found himself saying back.

He felt himself slip back into the time when he had started out as Robin. He had been younger than Tim. But not by much.

He offered a gloved hand to the younger boy.

Tim smiled cautiously and took it.

The doors to Mount Justice slid open.

Nightwing's four remaining teammates waited to greet them.

Maybe having another little brother wouldn't be such a bad thing after all.

**A/N: OMG! It has been so insanely long since I've updated and I am so sorry. Yeah, I know that doesn't make it better. But I hope you guys are still reading this. Thank you all for being so patient. This was an awesome suggestion by the way. Thanks. ****J**


	11. Babysitting (Kind Of)

**Chapter Eleven: Babysitting (Kind Of)**

**A/N: So this is kind of a continuation of the last chapter and takes place during a few "adventures" young Tim Drake/Robin has with the following (in order): M'gann, Conner, Artemis, and Wally. Enjoy! ****J**

Adventure Number 1: Baking (we're going with M'gann stereotypes hereJ)

M'gann took a deep breath, having just dismantled the fire alarm. _Again._

She really needed to work on her cookie baking abilities.

Back on Mars no one minded burned food.

In fact, most Martians prepared it that way on purpose.

M'gann knew her earth friends smiled and thanked her when she burned food but she wasn't stupid.

"Do you need some help?"

The small voice made her jump.

She turned to see Robin standing behind her.

This was the new Robin though.

It was still strange to see someone else in the costume one of her best friends had worn for so many years.

M'gann was still a little sad about the transition from Boy Wonder to Nightwing.

But she understood.

"Hi, Robin." She said, with a smile, bending down so she was at the small boy's height.

He was just so young.

"How are you liking the cave?"

The boy looked around, his masked eyes were almost as hard to read as Dick's were.

They were both bats, through and through.

"It's big." Robin said simply. M'gann decided to assume that was a good thing. "It's not too cold in here is it?" She questioned.

Robin shook his head. "Bat Cave's colder." M'gann wasn't sure how to respond to that.

She wondered if talking to a young Dick would have been this difficult if she had known him when he had first started out.

She hoped not.

"Do you need some help?" Robin said, repeating his earlier question.

M'gann brushed off her apron, scattering some flour that rose in a white cloud. "Can you make cookies?"

The boy nodded. He didn't say much. But his quietness was equal parts unnerving and cute. She decided to lean towards the cute.

The two of them stood at the island in the kitchen, well, Robin was perched on a stool so he could reach.

His masked eyes scanned over the recipe page with inhuman speed before he started cracking eggs and mixing and measuring flour and water.

There wasn't much he seemed to need M'gann's help for. It was incredible to watch him work.

His hands were quick and graceful.

She knew he would be just as good a hacker as his big brother.

She helped him put the tray in the oven and the two of them looked through some old team photo albums she had put together over the years.

When the oven beeped, and the cookies emerged, they were perfect and not the slightest bit burnt.

They were all perfectly even and cooked through at the exact correct temputure so they were soft and gooey as all chocolate chip cookies should be.

"How did you do that?" She asked.

Robin shrugged, fidgeting with one of his tech gloves.

And M'gann left it that.

Adventure Number 2: Father's Day

It was nearly Father's Day and the Superman situation was still bothering Conner.

Should he do something for Father's Day?

Would Superman appreciate that?

The whole team had been stirred up lately due to Nightwing's new little brother.

Robin seemed like a good kid.

Anyone who could rescue them all from another improve-due fire drill and scorched cookies was okay with them.

But that didn't solve the current problem.

"You could try a card."

If Conner had been anyone else, he might have jumped.

Robin was perched on the couch watching him with curious mask hidden eyes.

"What did you say?"

He hadn't meant the tone to sound so harsh but the small boy shrank behind the couch.

"Sorry." Conner apologized, going around to face the young child.

The poor kid was probably a little overwhelmed with meeting everyone so suddenly. He seemed pretty shy.

"What did you say about a card?" Conner asked a little less harshly.

Robin reached down and pulled a small backpack from the floor. He produced paper, markers, and other art supplies.

"Cards are a good way of telling people what you're too afraid to say out loud." The kid explained.

Conner was stunned.

That was probably the longest sentence anyone had gotten out of Robin yet.

Did they have a baby book for this kid so they could keep track of exciting turns of events like these?

"But of course," The boy said, twirling a pencil between his gloved fingers.

"Reading the card to the person helps to avoid awkward eye contact."

"I don't know if Superman's the kind of guy who would appreciate a Father's Day card from his younger clone." Conner interrupted.

Robin shrugged.

"Batman's never argued."

Conner blinked.

Had he heard that right?

"Y-you guys give Father's Day cards to Batman?"

Robin tilted his head to the side like the inquisitive little bird he was.

"Yeah. He's kind of like our dad. So why not?"

Conner took a second to let that sink in.

Eventually, he sat down next to Robin as the child sorted through the supplies he had produced.

He folded a piece of paper into a card shape and pressed a red marker into Conner's hand.

"Why don't you start by wishing him a happy Father's Day?"

Conner nodded and put the marker to the paper.

Hours later, Conner and Robin were standing outside the Daily Planet in Metropolis at the end of the work day.

When Clark Kent . Superman emerged, Robin gave Conner a small shove.

Superboy took a deep breath and approached the target of their stakeout.

He held out the card to a fairly surprised looking Clark Kent.

"Happy Father's Day."

Adventure Number 3: A Night In Gotham

Artemis had been patrolling in Gotham City now for years.

She spent a lot of her time in Star City with Green Arrow of course, but Gotham was still her home.

She still cared about what happened to it.

When she heard screams, she turned her attention to the darkened alleyway it had come from.

A man raced from it holding a purse, a woman was a little slower to exit, looking distraught.

_Here we go. _Artemis thought, readying her bow.

But it wasn't necessary.

A red and yellow blur tumbled from the rooftops, landed on the crook's shoulders, grabbed the purse, and sprung off, knocking the thief to the pavement.

The blur unfolded itself from its crouched position.

Robin.

Robin handed the woman back her purse, and she pulled the ten year old into a hug.

The little boy seemed surprised but didn't fight it. He probably knew better than to question civilians by now.

Once the woman had released him and walked away, Robin finished bat-cuffing the guy.

Artemis slid from the roof she was sitting on.

"Good job, Robin."

The boy might have been surprised but he did a good job of hiding it.

"Thanks, Artemis."

"Where's Batman?" She asked.

Artemis had never really been one to have talent with little kids. Especially the crime fighting kind.

"He's coming." Robin replied.

Artemis took Robin's hand.

"Come on, I'll help you find him."

A tiny smile graced Robin's young features and the two wondered off together.

Adventure Number 4: Math

Wally had been asked to watch Tim one night on Alfred's day off.

Dick and Bruce were out on patrol in Gotham but Tim wasn't allowed to go because of his sprained ankle.

Tim was laying on his stomach on the carpet in the living room surrounded by math worksheets from school. The kid was only in the fourth grade.

Wally couldn't remember having that much homework at ten years old.

"Do you want me to help you?" Wally offered.

"I think I've got it. Thanks." Tim responded.

Wally glanced at his math problems.

35 x 40 = 75

21 x 54 = 75

947 – 431 = 518

686 – 211 = 475

1.23 x 5 = 6.15

2.31 x 3 = 6.93

3.26 x 4 = 13.04

3.07 x 9 = 27.63

All done in mere minutes without a calculator.

Out of ten worksheets, Tim had one more to do that was already half way done in as many minutes. The kid hadn't even broken a sweat.

"That's amazing." Wally said.

Tim shrugged. "Not really."

"Did Mr. Wayne teach you this?" Wally questioned.

Tim shook his head.

"Not really."

"Were your parents scientists or something?"

"Not really."

"Do you want to keep doing math all night?"

"Not really."

"Do you want to watch a movie?"

"Uh huh."

**A/N: Ta dah! Tim is so cute…..and soft spoken. ****J****Please review! **


	12. Happy Halloween

**Chapter Twelve: Happy Halloween**

**A/N: …. Where do I begin? I know apologies are dumb when I keep repeating them over and over again. But I'm sorry. I swear you will never have to wait that long again for a chapter. Thank you guys so much for reading and I really hope you enjoy this. I love you all. I'm so sorry. ****J**

Halloween.

Not everyone's favorite time of year, but definitely a good time to scare you friends.

And this year, the team had an idea.

Wally crept as silently as possible up behind the couch where Robin was sleeping.

The Halloween mask that covered his face practically dripped with artificial blood.

In the dimly lit room, its sudden appearance would be enough to scare anyone.

Or so he hoped.

He crept around the corner and…Robin was gone.

Wally faltered mid-step.

He felt two small points of pressure on his back and was pushed over.

"Got you!" Wally stifled a scream.

But it was too late.

Robin was already gone, leaving only the echo of his laugh.

Wally skulked away, mask in hand.

Defeated for another year.

Artemis gave it a try next.

Kaulder, Conner, and M'gann weren't too interested in scaring Robin.

Halloween was too strange to explain to Conner and Kaulder didn't think much of it.

M'gann was too nice to try to scare their youngest teammate.

But Wally and Artemis were going to give it their all.

Artemis had heard who she hoped was Robin enter the cave.

She had been hiding above the zeta beam for what felt like hours.

She waited until Robin had stepped away from the entrance and dropped the smoke bomb.

The red cloud expanded and rose instantly.

She could hear Robin cough.

She dropped with impressive stealth into the cloud, holding her breath.

She moved around until she was sure she had found him.

Then, she lunged.

She tackled him to the ground.

Something made her grip go slack and the sound of a fan came on.

Her smoke cleared quickly.

And Artemis was left on the ground holding a black and yellow cape.

But that was all.

She went to the kitchen to find Robin sitting on the counter, the way he usually did, carving a pumpkin as if he had been there for hours.

He wasn't even in uniform!

He looked up, a perfect mask of surprise at seeing her fixed firmly on his face.

He turned the pumpkin towards her, to show a perfect bat shape carved into it.

"What do you think?"

Annoyed, but not yet ready to surrender, Artemis and Wally decided to team up for one final try.

They switched off every light in Mount Justice.

They set every alarm they could find to go off piercingly loudly at random times.

They opened every window so the full moon could glow creepily through the branches of the dead and blackened trees.

They hid in strategic places.

Artemis screamed at the top of her lungs.

The zeta beam activated and someone stepped through.

The dark shape moved cautiously around the darkened room.

Robin.

But something wasn't right.

Artemis peered from her hidey hole, trying to see if they really had lured the right person into their trap.

Wally edged around a corner.

Who was it?

"What are you doing?" They both froze.

Batman.

They could recognize the pointy-eared shape now.

The long shapeless black cloak.

A bright spotlight clicked on, illuminating the Dark Knight only.

His masked eyes were slits of anger.

He practically radiated disapproval.

He flung the cape out behind him so it flared like the wings of a giant bat.

Wally and Artemis shrank back into their hiding places.

Batman's eyes flashed red.

"Happy Halloween."

Then the light flickered off, and Batman was gone.

The archer and the speedster practically collapsed in relief.

Then the lights were flicked on and they almost screamed.

But it was just Robin.

"Hey, guys." He said, spotting them instantly.

"What're you doing?"

"It was you!" Wally exclaimed, coming to point an accusing finger at his best friend.

Robin raised his eyebrows. "It was me?" He asked innocently.

"You're the one who was dressed like Batman to scare us!" Artemis said.

Robin tilted his head to one side in confusion.

"I didn't dress like Batman. I wasn't even here until a few minutes ago when you saw me come in."

"Oh yeah?" Wally said, crossing his arms. "Prove it."

"Sure." Robin shrugged.

He handed Wally a timetable from a school with the name crossed out.

Always hiding the secret identity.

"See?" Robin said, pointing to a spot on the page.

"My school ends at three eighteen. Its three twenty five now. There is no way I could have gotten from there to here in seven minutes."

Wally and Artemis exchanged looks.

He did have a pretty valid point….

But this _was _Robin they were dealing with.

The kid managed to pull of the impossible every single day.

"It was you." Wally said, scrutinizing the little bird.

"I don't know how you did it but _it was you_. And there is nothing you can say or do that could change my mind."

Robin shrugged.

"Okay. I should go. Batman wants me home so we can patrol."

He stopped at the zeta beams.

He looked over his shoulder at them and smirked.

"Happy Halloween."

**A/N: Hope you liked it! Happy Halloween everyone!**


	13. Impression

**Impression**

**A/N: Written for Dick Grayson's birthday.**

He was the quiet one who was secretly screaming.

He was the gentle one who was secretly fighting.

He was the brave one who was secretly crying.

All that and so much more bottled up in one small, black haired, blue eyed bundle of seemingly boundless energy.

But she knew the truth.

They had never really spoken before. But she was a writer. And she took notice. He had caught her interest. And that was dangerous for anyone. She observed from afar. Like a wild animal, she didn't want to spook him in fear he'd run off. But she wanted to be his friend. He didn't seem to have many friends.

She couldn't understand why not.

He was smart, funny, kind, gentle, easy going, and good looking. Not to mention he was athletic, could sing, and was multilingual. Also, the fact that he was the adopted son of a billionaire didn't hurt either.

But she didn't care about that last one so much.

To her it just made him more intriguing as a character.

What was his life at home like?

What had it really been like before he had been adopted?

She had heard that he was from the circus.

She was new and he wasn't.

Was it true?

The callouses on her hands and bruises on her feet made many people think she was a gymnast. But they were really from Parkour. No one knew she could do it. She wondered if he had a secret like that.

He had such amazing eyes.

She found herself staring at them.

She felt as if she were looking at something rarely seen. Like a priceless jewel or a buried treasure. They were so deep, so full, and so blue. The kind of eyes someone could get lost in. But that thought made her blush and look away. It wasn't until a few moments later that she realized she now had the urge to draw. She wanted to draw characters like him. Acrobatic blue eyed boys with hands covered in well-earned scars and souls bursting with secrets and mystery.

So she liked him.

She still stayed away.

She could pretend that her life was as exciting and mysterious as any of the characters in the stories she liked to read. But he had real curiosities.

She thought she should introduce herself.

Say 'hi'.

But such a seemingly easy feat was nearly impossible.

She couldn't pretend to know him just through a few glances.

She wasn't some weird stalker who kept a diary about his every move and peered through his windows at night.

But she had hit a road block with her writing.

Her family and friends said it was just a speed bump. That she would get back into it in time. Her English teacher said she needed to find her own inspiration. Something to base her works off of. She needed to root herself as if she were a tree. Not a flower. Flowers, although pretty, were flimsy and weak. They were blown over easily.

He wasn't a flower.

He was a tree.

The kind of tree that rooted itself in family and love. The kind that grew through pain, sorrow, and tragedy and burst through the darkness to stretch its branches into the sunlight of hope and possibility.

Okay.

Sorry.

That was getting too poetic.

Oops.

But the point was, that he had suffered. He had suffered the way most others never would. But he hadn't allowed that to suffocate him. He had moved through it and allowed it to make him a better person.

He was the one who had it all figured out.

He was the one who could make you smile no matter what.

He was the one who would be the first to put their arm around you when you were feeling down.

So he became her model.

She looked to him for inspiration.

Using the people who interacted with him as the basis for even more characters and plot development.

And pretty soon, she was writing again.

Better than ever before.

Her stories were becoming fresh, hot off the presses.

She had never quite understood that expression but she liked it nonetheless.

She learned to push through that roadblock and drive like there was a lion on her tail.

And it was all thanks to him.

His big blue eyes, dishevelled black hair, and ritual lateness were just a few of the things that drew her to him.

But she didn't like him superficially.

She didn't 'like' him at all.

To her, he was the untouchable prize. One she was okay with staying away from.

He saved her again and again by just sitting there and being her model.

Once, she had even gotten up the courage to ask him to sit down and let her do his portrait. He had agreed easily with a friendly and encouraging smile.

She had left the whole thing in pencil, except for his eyes.

She couldn't leave them blank. So she combined every color of blue, silver, and white she could until she came up with the perfect shade.

People overlook eye color as being non-important. Almost non-existent. But you can tell a lot about someone from their eyes. It's important that the color is stated or described in all its glory.

Don't people often say 'the eyes are the gateways to the soul'? If that were true, what did people see when they looked into her eyes?

What did they see when they looked into his?

She kept her distance.

But he and she became closer. He talked to her sometimes. She did his portrait every now and again. And it wasn't long before she began to realize that they were becoming friends.

It wasn't until she was invited to his birthday party that she realized they really were friends, and had been for some time.

She was self-conscious in the dress her mother had bought for her. It was pretty and all but it didn't have sleeves.

But he greeted her at the door and led her inside.

There she met a blonde girl, an energetic red-haired boy, a young man who smelled like the sea (the good smells only) a boy with a big dog and a girl with a big smile and red hair.

They were nice, and accepting.

They were amazing.

They all sat quietly while she sketched them.

It wasn't much of a birthday present but he seemed happy to receive it and thanked her with a smile.

And nothing had changed, really.

He was still her model.

And she was still a writer.

But now…now they were friends.

**A/N: This one's special. Good? Bad? Weird? I know it's not the usual but it's written from the perspective of someone outside of the knowledge of Batman and co. Anyway, it's 11: 30 PM and I have school tomorrow. Please R&amp;R. ****J**


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